Tyler Makes Spaghetti!

And you can, too, either by following his 62-line recipe or by simply throwing some pasta in a boiling pot!  The choice is yours. 

THREE PROS
*Despite my attempt at being clever above, there are multiple benefits to undertaking an intensely cooperative spaghetti endeavor with your child (instead of just making dinner for him or her by yourself)   
*TV personality Tyler Florence (who I only noticed was the author after paying attention to the bottom of the cover when I got home) will obviously never permanently trade in his chef hat for a laptop, but his story is not the worst thing ever
*Illustrator Craig Frazier's portrayal of humans is not my fave, but the rest of his artwork has a nice flavor to it

THREE CONS 
*Dude, we know you're famous and all but, frankly, I find it borderline offensive that you and Harper Collins "disclaim any liability from injury" resulting from the use of this book -- why don't you and your respective legal teams go suck an egg 
*If you're gonna name the dog Tofu, introduce this fact in a part of the book that isn't so ingredient-heavy 
*As someone who grew up in the town neighboring your current California home, I can see why you might be tempted to put the word "even" in front of New Jersey; but, as someone who was born in NJ, I gotta tell you, it's kind of a prick move

ONE DAD'S OPINION

If you ask my wife, she will quickly tell you that I am rarely impressed by celebrity chef culture.  [This, among many other things, is a major disappointment for her, since she loves eating at hip restaurants.]  The reasons for my viewpoint are twofold.  First, I find it ridiculous that people who finish in, like, 8th place on the 3rd highest-rated cooking show airing on the 19th-ranked basic cable channel are somehow worthy of a ton of hype when they open a restaurant in your town.  Secondly, many of these yahoos then feel entitled to extend their marketing reach beyond the kitchen to projects such as this book.  There is nothing special about this story.  It is almost the literal equivalent of spaghetti and meatballs: you'll eat it and be satisfied, but you'll get bored with it if you consume it too often and you'd never brag to your friends about sharing it with your family the night before.  In fact, the only difference between Florence's kidlit and his recipe is really that you might want to photocopy the recipe and keep it in a drawer somewhere, whereas the book has no real business staying in your home for more than a few days...  

Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy



1 comment:

parkerhere said...

How do I sent you a copy to review?

Thanks. Eddie Parker